The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1885-1921, 1887-03-19
THE AMERICAN DUEL.
A GERMAN CONTRIBUTOR EXPLAINS
JUST WHAT 1T MEANS.

Not a Brutal ARRAY in a Darkened Room
Nor ''BIaze Away" at Short Range.
The Decision of Fate - Suicides
Stain.
1 see the following copied in the The
World from one of your contemporaries:
81 read in dispatch from Berlin the
other day that bill has been introduced
into the Reichstag to suppress dueling,
especially what is known as the Amer1-
can method Now what is this Ameri-
can method? Is it the gentle pastime of
fighting with knives in a dark room? Is
it the brief and sanguinary contest with
shOtguns at twenty PAGES? Or is it the
informal duel of the frontier, with its
brief cartel: 'I'll kill you on sight, and
when you next come, come a shootin'?'
The cablegram is strangely silent on
this important point
| am in position to inform you that
the American duel, rs practiced on the
continent of Europe, and especially in
Germany, is neither a brutal atfray with
bowie knives in q darkened room nor
''blaze away" at short range; it is some
thing more secret and terrible still,
practice that has brought sorrow and
shame to the noblest families and cut
short the career of the most promising
men; it is death, self inflicted death by
lot. Some time since the startling intel
ligence was published that Professor B.,
of Berlin, a talented and highly esteemed
young, man had been found dead III his
room, with pistol tightly clasped in his
hand and Il bullet hole in his forehead.
He had committed suicide. But what
could be the motive?
In easy if not brilliant circumstances,
handsome and engaging, on the threshold
of life, the highest honors within his
grasp, this young man goes to his last
account and leaves no trace to elucidate
the mystery. The world wonders for nine
days and then in the rush of rapidly pass
ing events the incident is forgotten. For
gotten save by one who knows and few
sOrrOwing friends who conjecture.
The solution of the mystery is to be
found in the American duel.
A love affair, in which two passionate,
high spirited young men lavish their at
tenJiOn upon the same lady; a deadly
insult offered and they conceive that the
world is not large enough to hold both.
One must die, and what surer and more
convenient method than to decide by lot
who shall take his own life?
The two enemies face each other with
flashing eyes and burning cheek. Words
have passed andinsults offered which can
be drowned only in blood.
THE DECISION OF FATE.
So be it. Let us step to the window;
the street is quiet and deserted. Let us
observe the next passerby. If the first
one to turn the corner be man, it is
if it be woman, death is your portion
death by your own hand and before the
sun rises again.
Pale and gloomy they stand side by
side and await the doom sure to come
soon to one of them. One, two, three
minutes pass; it is so still in the apart
ment the ticking of a clock upon the
mantel sounds loud and near. Then
black shadow is thrown across the walk
and-a woman moves around the corner,
her light footsteps sounding the death
knell of Professor 3.
A slight shudder shakes the frame of
the doomed man and the pallor deepens
for moment. Then proudly and coldly
he bows to his adversary: Fate has
selected me, Capt A. You will hear
from me tomorrow"
And he is alone with his sad thoughts.
But the clock beats out his life fast and
furious, and he has so much to do and
arrange before the rising sun shall look
upon his lifeleSS corpse. He may put his
affairs in order, but he must not reveal
his fate. Honor and the rules of Ameri-
can duel forbid it.
Thus persisted one of the brightest and
mos5 promising young men in the most
emil 5htened capital OF Europe in the latter
half of the Nineteenth century, leaving
the stain of suicide upon his name
I lis is by no means an isolated case, it
being well known that this method of
due ing has been resorted to only too fire.
quC-I4ly, and it is sad fact that the best
and most honorable men have often been
the Tictims.
" lille dueling will never and, for OBJ
vio3ls reasons, can never be wholly sup
pressed in n wariil,e nation like Germany,
it is to be hoped thGt this bloody game of
chance called the American duel may
speedily be crushed and wiped OUT. g.